


The Proposal

by theoofoof



Category: Major Crimes (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2019-06-23 09:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15603054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoofoof/pseuds/theoofoof
Summary: My version of what happened after the screen faded to black. Spoilers for 5x17 and 5x18.





	1. Chapter 1

Rusty was quiet as he let himself into the condo. It was only just after six and he wasn’t sure if his Mom and Andy would be awake yet. The squad were off today, barring no major incidents, following the all-nighter and extra hours they’d put in solving their previous murder. He pocketed his keys and dropped his bag just inside the door.

He spotted Sharon as he rounded the corner. She was stood at the balcony door staring out over the city, a mug of steaming coffee in her hands. His gaze swept the room, looking for some indication of what had transpired after he had left the previous evening. But there was nothing. No sign of the roses or the dozens of candles he’d spent yesterday buying and placing around the condo and balcony, trying to set the perfect scene for Andy’s proposal. He didn’t know what to make of that.

“Mom?”

Her head turned at the sound of his voice. “Good morning honey. Did you have a good evening?”

Was she seriously asking him about his night? Surely her evening warranted the attention here.  “Um, yeah it was good.”

“Did you do anything nice?”

Her attention was back on the scenic view but Rusty knew she was still listening. He wondered if this was some kind of diversionary tactic – perhaps she didn’t want to talk about last night. “Yeah, I met him from work and we caught a late showing of Kong. Gus says it wasn’t as good as the original. I wouldn’t know.”

As he busied himself in the kitchen, pouring a glass of orange juice and preparing a bowl of cereal for himself, Sharon moved to the dining table so they could continue their conversation.

“Have you eaten?” Rusty asked.

“No, but I’m not really hungry at the moment. I’ll wait for Andy.”

“Oh, so he’s still here then?”

“He is.” Relief flooded through him at his Mom’s words. Surprising really given the fuss he’d made about their relationship since it started. He’d got used to it though. He’d always liked Andy – it had just taken him a while to get used to the idea of Andy as his Mom’s boyfriend rather than one of the Lieutenants. And he wanted his Mom to be happy.

“So…” Rusty drawled, his impatience clearly growing. Sharon was surprised he’d lasted this long and merely raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh come on Mom, I’m dying here!”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her son’s dramatics. “Andy and I had a wonderful evening…”

* * *

_After sending one final text to Rusty, Andy pocketed his phone before stepping into the elevator behind Sharon._

_‘We’re on our way up now’_

_The kid had sent him a picture of the decorated condo a few minutes earlier. Andy had to hand it to him, he’d done good. He’d taken Andy’s vision and turned it into a far better reality than he could have imagined. It was actually happening; he was finally going to ask Sharon to marry him. He_

_“I’m pleased for him,” Sharon was saying as the door opened onto their floor., “But we may have to cut him a little slack over the next few weeks.”_

_“I’m sorry, what? Who do we have to cut some slack?” He fell into step beside her as they made their way down the hall._

_“Julio,” Sharon repeated. “Honestly Andy, what is the matter with you? You’ve been acting strangely all day.” Actually, he’d been acting oddly all weekend. The last time he’d behaved like this was before asking her to the ballet using the ridiculous excuse of needing an expert opinion. She’d seen through him then and she could see through him now. The only thing she couldn’t see in either situation was why. But she was determined to get to the bottom of it tonight._

_“Well,” he chivalrously opened the door for her. “I understand you don’t like surprises, but…”_

_“Surprises, wha-“ She gasped as she took in the scene. The room was dim, light by the flickering candles that adorned almost every available surface interspersed by bouquets of red roses. On the balcony, the small metal table was draped with a white cloth and set for a candlelight dinner for two_

_“Ignore me,” Rusty said, grabbing his bag from the floor beside her. “I’m just on my way out.”_

_“Rusty, what is all this?”_

_“This?” He smiled. “This is Andy Flynn.”_

_Tears pooled in Sharon’s eyes at her son’s words. She couldn’t believe that he had gone to all this trouble for her._

_Once Rusty had left, wishing him luck as he did so, Andy joined Sharon, his hand finding the small of her back as the moved further into the condo. “Well, since we couldn’t go out to dinner the other night, I thought that I would bring dinner to you.”_

_She couldn’t help but lean into him as they walked. “Oh.”_

_“It’s from Serve.”_

_“Serve. Oh, Andy, where we had our first date.” She stepped over the threshold onto the balcony. “Oh, that is so thoughtful.”_

_“Erm, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately.”_

_Sharon reached out and drew her hand down his tie. “Okay.”_

_“About you, about me and how living together could be only the beginning.” His voice falters a little with the weight of emotion._

_Sharon’s happiness at Andy’s romantic gesture gave way to puzzlement at his words. Of course, living together was just the beginning, they were building a life together. The two of them along with their respective families. What more could he…? Oh. Was he really going to…?_

_She pulled from her introspection by the sound of the balcony door sliding closed and spun round to face Andy. She heard his deep intake of breath and for a split second she feared he was experiencing another heart attack - her hands rose instinctively to steady him for a fall - but it was her heart that skipped a beat when he dropped to one knee before her. He was really doing this._

_She stared at the ring -  a white gold band with an emerald cut diamond in a pavé setting – classic, elegant, exactly what she’d have picked herself.  She looked back to his eyes, watched his mouth move, tried to get past the buzzing in her head long enough to focus on what he was saying._

_“Sharon, will you marry me?”_

_Her jaw dropped as the words left his mouth. When he’d started talking about their current situation being ‘only the beginning’ she’d begun to suspect what he was going to do and then of course when he’d gotten down on one knee it had been pretty obvious she’d been right, but until he’d actually said the words, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that it was real. That she wasn’t dreaming._

_Her heart was beating a hundred times a minute as she brought a shaky hand up to her mouth_ _._

_“Andy…” All of the air left her lungs in a rush as she struggled to find the words to answer him. She glanced from the ring to his face then back to the ring again. “I…”_

_Andy’s face fell, certain that he'd screwed things up. He was just so sure that this was the woman he was to spend the rest of his life with. “It’s okay Sharon. I understand.” His voice was flat, devoid of emotion which was strange considering the tumult of feelings he was experiencing._

_“That’s… that’s not…” She took a breath to steady her nerves. “I’m just a little surprised. I wasn’t expecting this.”_

_His brows furrowed in confusion. “You had to know when I looked into the future I saw you, us.”_

_“Oh, I did. I just wasn’t sure if your vision of our future included marriage.” There hadn’t been any discussion of marriage between them, not unless you counted the conversations when Rusty had been panicking about maybe receiving a proposal from Gus. Her face broke into a nervous smile “I guess now I know.”_

_Her words were a glimmer of hope and buoyed him slightly. “So it’s just me still in the dark then,” he quipped._

_“Oh!” Sharon realised that she hadn’t yet given him an answer and that the poor man was still kneeling in front of her. “Yes.” She dropped to her knees then, joining him on the balcony floor - not caring a jot about her Donna Karen trousers and snaked her arms around her neck. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes and whispering by his ear, “Andy, my answer is yes.” There would be uncertainty about the logistics; when, where and how – especially given her faith, but she was certain that she wanted it to happen however it could._

_He was elated. She’d said yes! He took her left hand and slid the cool metal band onto her finger, staring deeply into his eyes as he did so. "I love you..." he whispered, before capturing her in a deep kiss. "...I always will.”_


	2. Chapter 2

“Congratulations!” After setting his bowl and glass down on the table, Rusty moved to hug his Mom. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Are you?” Sharon asked hesitantly, as she pulled back from his embrace. “Honestly?”

The fact that she would question his sincerity stung a little but he could hardly blame her. He’d hardly been the biggest fan of their relationship.

“I am,” he replied firmly. “I know I wasn’t always as… supportive of your relationship as I could have been… as I should have been, but y’know, Andy grows on you after a while.” He smirked as the lieutenant rounded the corner, his eyebrow raised at being the subject of their discussion. “Sort of like a fungus.”

Andy rolled his eyes. “Kid still thinks he’s a comedian,” he muttered, wrapping his arm around Sharon’s waist. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Andy bent and placed a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“Just so you know, public displays of affection are still gross, engaged or not.” His comment brought them both back to the moment and Rusty held out his hand. “Congratulations Andy.”

Andy shook Rusty’s proffered hand. “Thanks, kid. And thanks for your help with it all.”

“You’re welcome.” He turned to his Mum as he took his seat at the table. “I hope you liked it.”

Rusty didn’t think he’d ever forget the look on Sharon’s face when she’d entered the condo the previous evening. She’d definitely been surprised, but there was something more in her eyes, as they’d welled up with tears. He hadn’t really understood it until he’d spoken to Emily a couple of hours later after her show had wrapped. She’d told him that she didn’t think her father had ever done one romantic thing for her mother in all the time they had been together. The only surprises she ever got from him were bad ones. That’s when Rusty understood that look; she hadn’t been able to believe that someone would orchestrate something so amazing for her. Even after being with Andy for over a year, and moving in with him, she still couldn’t quite believe that she was worthy of such attention from him.

“Rusty, it was perfect. All those candle and flowers…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. She placed her hand on Rusty’s arm. “Thank you.”

Rusty was pleased to note that she didn’t have that look in her eye anymore. Now her eyes just radiated the happiness that she was feeling.

Rusty shrugged. “It was all Andy really. I just followed orders.”

Sharon lifted her mug to her mouth. “Hmmm. That’s not quite how I heard it…”

* * *

_"So this was why you've not been able to stop smiling at me for the past few days."_

_He blushed slightly. He hadn't meant to be so obvious. He just couldn't help it. Every time he looked at her he saw what their future together could be. In fact, once he'd decided to ask the question it had been difficult not to blurt it out whenever they were alone together. It had only gotten worse since he’d picked up the ring on Thursday. He’d nearly asked that very same evening, as they were loading the dishwasher!_

_"I can't believe you went to so much trouble. No one has ever done anything so... romantic for me." She fingered the stem of her wine glass with her left hand, admiring the way the candlelight reflected off her ring. There was a time, not so long ago, that she had thought she would never fall in love again. She’d been okay with that; she had her kids, her friends, her career and she was happy enough. But now… now she had found someone to share in all that happiness and even add to it._

_"Well I'd originally planned on whisking you away to Napa for the weekend - hotel was booked and everything but..." he shrugged, she knew what had happened, she was there._

_"But we caught a murder."_

_"Yeah. But maybe it was for the best. As Rusty pointed out, you don't really like surprises."_

_Sharon looked around with a soft smile. "I could be rethinking that. For future reference, I think I'd quite enjoy being whisked away by you."_

_"Is that so? Hmm. I'll keep that in mind." Despite Rusty’s reservations, he knew that once she’d gotten over the surprise she would have enjoyed their trip. Maybe he’d bank that idea for her birthday._

_"So this was your contingency plan?"_

_Andy set his fork down on his plate. “Honestly, no. I didn't have a contingency plan which, given our line of work, probably wasn’t the best idea. Anyway, Rusty had Gus pull some strings with one of his connections and he got us a last minute reservation at Serve…”_

_Realisation dawned on Sharon’s face. “Oh… last night… oh, Andy. I’m so sorry.”_

_He shook his head. “Don’t be. It was a bad idea anyway. Too public and asking in the middle of a murder investigation probably wouldn’t have been very romantic.”_

_“I’d still have said yes.”_

_“Good to know,” smiled Andy bashfully. Her words filled him with warmth. “Rusty saw how disappointed I was that dinner wasn’t going to happen, and asked me what was going on. When I explained that I planned to propose he offered to help.”_

_Sharon’s eyes widened. She’d assumed Andy had roped him into helping. “He did?”_

_Andy nodded. “It’s progress.”_

_“Definitely.” She’d been worried about Rusty’s attitude towards Andy at the beginning of their relationship but was determined not to let it affect their relationship. While he was growing up he’d been surrounded by bad examples of relationships so she wasn’t surprised that he’d be wary of her entering into one, even with someone he already knew. But she’d been sure, once he’d seen how a healthy loving relationship could be, that he’d come around. And he had. Well, as much as any young man who had to witness his mother dating._

_“Gave him my credit card and a general idea of what I wanted to accomplish,” he gestured to the living room, “and well, here we are.”_

_“Hmm.”_

_“He’s a good kid.”_

_“Yes,” Sharon beamed proudly. “He most definitely is.”_

* * *

Rusty felt her gaze on him and the intensity of the emotion on her face made him want to avert his eyes. Times like this, where she got emotional because of how proud she was of him, still made him feel a little uncomfortable. He hadn’t received much of that attention before he came to Sharon and even now, five years later, he was still learning to be comfortable. “So I offered to help, let’s not make a big deal out of it,” he said, looking down at his cereal bowl where he was absentmindedly drawing patterns in the milk with his spoon.

“Rusty…”

Andy shook his head at her. “I text Nicole,” he announced, changing the subject.

Rusty looked up. “You’re telling your daughter you’re engaged via a text message?”

Andy chuckled. “No. Even I’m not that insensitive. I text her to see if she’s free to get together sometime over the next few days so we can tell her in person.”

Rusty nodded. “What about Emily and Ricky?”

“Of course I would like to tell them in person but they’re not due to come home anytime soon, so a Skype call will have to suffice. Although,” Sharon continued, fixing Rusty with a knowing look. “if I know all of you as well as I think I do, I assume they will be expecting a call?”

Rusty tried to look innocent but when Sharon raised an eyebrow at him, he caved. “In my defence, you wanted us to get along. You can’t dictate how and when we act like siblings. When one of us finds out something big about our mother, we have to share. It’s like, the rule.”

Andy laughed. “And you do like rules.”

Sharon hit him with her napkin, eyes flashing with amusement. “You stay out of this.” She turned back to Rusty. “What did they say?”

She was nervous of how her eldest children would react. They both appeared to like Andy and seemed happy for them when he moved in, but this… marriage was a whole other ball game, especially if she ended up getting an annulment of her former marriage. She didn’t know quite how they’d feel about that.

Rusty sensed her apprehension. “They were fine with it Mom. Honestly. They… we just want you to be happy. I’m surprised my phone didn’t blow up last night, the number of texts I had from both of them asking if I’d heard anything.”

“Well then...” Sharon stood up from the table and retrieved her MacBook from her desk. When she returned, she set it down on the table and swiftly logged in. “If they’re so excited, they won’t mind an early morning call then…”


	3. Chapter 3

All in all, the conversations with their children had gone very well. The first few minutes of the group Skype call that Sharon had with her two were dominated by Emily gushing over the ring and how romantic the whole thing was. Ricky didn’t complain though, he merely muted her until she’d finished – giving him time to wake up properly. When he had, he was just as excited, discussing plans for Andy’s bachelor party with a glint in his eye.

Nicole invited her father and Sharon for a family barbeque the following Saturday. They felt a little bad withholding their news from her for four days but they’d wanted to tell her in person. Nicole had squealed almost as much as Emily when she’d spotted the ring. Andy had asked his daughter’s advice about how to broach the subject with her brother and had been a little relieved when she’d offered to speak to him on his behalf. He hadn’t thought their news would go down very well, so he was surprised when, less than an hour after they’d arrived home, he received a text from Ben congratulating him and telling him to let him know if they needed help with any of the arrangements. Andy hadn’t been able to wipe the smile of his face for the rest of the evening,

Very quickly, life returned to normal. Sharon and Andy still basked in the joy of their engagement but in private, at home. They discussed some ideas of what they wanted from their ceremony, but there were issues to be overcome first.

Ideally, Sharon wanted to get married in the Catholic Church, to make her vows in front of God, but she wasn’t sure how simple or straightforward that would be. She knew she would need to have her former marriage annulled but she wasn’t yet one hundred per cent sure how she felt about that. Or how her children would feel about it. And then, of course, there was Jack. There was no telling what reaction he’d have to it all, but Sharon suspected it wouldn’t be good.

Andy understood – in fact, he’d suspected all this before he’d proposed – and had told her he would wait as long as it took for her to sort it all out in her head. That was part of the reason they hadn’t told their colleagues yet. Once people knew that they were engaged, Andy and Sharon suspected they’d be fielding suggestions they didn’t really want from all directions. Until they had a plan in place, they were happy for it to remain between them and their families.

* * *

Unfortunately, Andy and Sharon basking happily in the glow of being newly engaged was not enough to stop the criminals of Los Angeles. They dealt with murders on a daily basis; that was their job but the murder of a former cop, albeit a disgraced one, was different. The stakes were higher, the stress more intense.

“Fraud should have all of her old cases up here shortly,” Buzz said

“Maybe we can identify the ex-con who supposedly paid her a visit,” offered Amy.

“Okay,” nodded Sharon. “That is enough to start. Let’s see if any of these leads slash motives pay off.”

“Hang on!” called Tao from his desk where he and Detective Nolan were examining the evidence. “We may have another one.”

“We found this box of dog biscuits in Mary Conrad’s apartment,” Nolan began, as Sharon approached to see the evidence for herself, but he was cut off.

“There’s the happy couple!”  

Sharon’s eyebrows rose as she took in the sight of her son entering the Murder Room, but her surprise quickly gave way to joy. “Ricky!” she beamed.

“Mom, Andy, congratulations! How does it feel to be engaged?” He pulled his future step-father into a hug, oblivious to his mother’s subtle attempts to get him to be quiet.

“Wait… what?” Amy asked, looking between them.

“Engaged?”

“Congratulations,” chorused Tao and Buzz happily.

Julio’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Where’s the ring? Didn’t the Lieutenant buy you a ring, Ma’am?”

“Oh my God,” groaned Andy. This could only happen to them. He wondered briefly if it was some sort of karmic payback for inadvertently spoiling Provenza’s proposal the previous year.

Ricky glanced from the team to his Mom. Between her embarrassed smile and the faint blush on her cheeks, Ricky knew something wasn’t right. Had they called it off? Rusty hadn’t said anything. “Wait, you’re still engaged right?” he asked, glancing nervously between the two of them.

“Well...” Andy turned to Sharon, helplessly. They’d agreed to tell the team away from work in order to try and maintain some professionalism.

Sharon nodded almost imperceptibly at Andy, before turning to her division. “Yes we are,” she confirmed with a smile. As much as she would have preferred to make the announcement in her own time and in a more convenient location, it was out there now.

“We just hadn’t announced it yet, that’s all,” Andy added, placing a reassuring hand on Ricky’s shoulder.

“Oh no.” Realisation dawned on Ricky’s face. “Oh, God.” He turned to Rusty who had followed him into the Murder Room but had been helpless to stop the car crash that was unfolding before his eyes. “Oh no. I’m so sorry. Really?”

“I… I thought he knew not to bring it up,” Rusty confessed. “I’m sorry.” In hindsight, he should have realised the reason for Ricky’s eagerness to get to PAB and up to the Murder Room.

Sharon shook her head lightly. “You know what, both of you, it’s alright.” She turned to the team. “We were going to have a little party…”

Ricky rubbed his forehead in dismay. He couldn’t believe he’d spoiled their announcement. He should have known his mother had planned _something_ , she did have that serious sense of occasion after all

“…And yes Andy did, of course, give me a ring,” she continued, leaning into Andy’s side to put an arm around his back, subconsciously fingering the lapel of his jacket with her other hand. “But I left it at home because-”

“Oh God, Mom,” blundered in Ricky, much in the same way that he had blundered into the Murder Room, “I ruined your surprise! I’m so sorry.”

“You know what? I am so happy to see you. I am.” She opened her arms and gathered her son into a hug. “I am absolutely thrilled.” She loved it when her children visited, but she preferred it when things were pre-arranged so that they didn’t end up walking into an active murder investigation and she actually had some time to spend with them. Over Ricky’s shoulder, she indicated to Rusty to take his brother elsewhere.

Rusty nodded, motioning to his brother to follow him. He should get him out of there before he caused any more trouble.

“We will celebrate later, I promise. Okay?” Sharon offered Ricky a reassuring smile as she stepped back from their embrace.

“Yeah,” Ricky nodded, still kicking himself. He shot an apologetic look at Andy, who merely shook his head.

Almost as soon as they’d left the Murder Room, Ricky caught Rusty’s arm and spun him round to face him.  “You couldn’t have warned me?” he asked incredulously.

“I thought you knew!” In the days following their engagement, Sharon and Andy had made it perfectly clear to Rusty that neither he or Gus were to mention it in the vicinity of the team. As Andy’s best friend, Provenza had naturally been told, but he too was sworn to secrecy.

“Clearly not,” Ricky deadpanned. “Why wouldn’t she tell me? God, I feel like such a heel.”

Rusty offered a quick shrug. “Well, I guess she didn’t expect you to fly in for a surprise visit,” Rusty offered. “And then, even if you did drop by, you’d have more common sense than to burst into PAB and announce it to the world. I mean, come on, who even does that? It pretty tactless, not to mention insensitive, thoughtless, embarrassing…” Rusty trailed off with a smirk.

Ricky rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks, little brother. Your efforts to make me feel better are overwhelming.”

“Oh, I’m supposed to make you feel better?” He pretended to consider this for a moment. “Nah, that’s not happening.” Reaching into his pocket, Rusty pulled out his phone. “But you never know…” He scrolled through his contacts, “maybe Em will have more sympathy for you.”

“You wouldn’t.” If his sister found out, the teasing would be relentless.

Rusty’s finger hovered over the call button as he began walking backwards down the corridor towards the elevators. “Wouldn’t I?” He raised an eyebrow in challenge, turned and walked quickly down the corridor.

“Rusty do not press that button!” Ricky increased his pace to catch up with his brother’s retreating form. “I swear Rusty if you make that call…”

* * *

“So Mom, do I finally get a proper look at this ring?” Ricky asked as Andy and Rusty cleared their plates. Dinner had been on the table when Sharon had walked in from work, so she hadn’t had time to change or put on her ring as she would normally do when she got home.

Sharon stood from the table, dropping her napkin into her place. “Okay give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”

As she entered their bedroom, her eyes fell immediately to the ring sat, as it always did, on her bedside table. She picked up the red ring box and lifted the ring from where it was nestled in the velvet cushion.  She slid the cool, metal band onto her finger, twisting it slightly so that the emerald-cut diamond lay on the centre of her finger. A large smile spread across her face as she realised she was now free to wear her ring at work; there was no need to hide it any longer. It may not have been how they’d planned for the team to find out, but it had happened and, while there were still somethings she and Andy needed to resolve, she was happy to show the world that they were committed to each other.

Conscious of Ricky waiting in the other room, Sharon decided to forgo changing into something more comfortable. He was so excited by this engagement she thought he might burst if she didn’t get back out there as soon as possible.

As it was, he took her hand before she had had even sat down, examining the ring as she did.

“Not bad Andy, nice work.”

Sharon gazed adoringly at her eldest son.

Andy turned from where he was stood at the counter. “Oh well, I can’t afford a ring as beautiful as she deserves but thanks.”

Sharon shook her head at him as she lifted her hand to admire her ring. She wished he would stop saying that. “This is much more than enough.” She smiled radiantly as she flexed her fingers, still getting used to the unfamiliar weight.

“So, you pick a date?” Ricky asked. “When’s the ceremony?”

Sharon tilted her head and gave her son a mock glare.

“What?” Ricky’s eyebrows drew together in confusion as she placed a quietening touch to his hand.

“Rusty, how about if we go outside and get some air, huh?” Andy suggested. While he was pleased by Ricky’s enthusiasm about the engagement, it needed curbing for the moment, and, as his mother, it was Sharon who needed to have that conversation.

“Uh, okay, sure,” replied Rusty awkwardly. He knew the conversation that was coming. Sharon had had it with him at the end of last week when he’d asked why they weren’t telling anyone at work yet.

“You know Ricky,” began Sharon. “There are issues…”

Andy and Rusty stepped out onto the balcony and before Andy slid the door closed, they heard Ricky lightly admonish his Mom’s attitude. “Mom, no, no, no, no. This is your time to be happy. Don’t postpone it.”

Rusty waked to the railing and stretched his back as he looked out over the city. “Think he’ll change her mind?”

When he got no response, he turned to find Andy’s attention fixed on the goings-on in the condo. He rolled his eyes. Could these two be any more obvious?

“Andy?” he prodded.

“Wha-?” Andy turned away from the glass. “Sorry. Did you say something?”

“I asked if you think he’ll change her mind.”

“I wasn’t aware she’d come to a decision.” At least, she hadn’t as far as he was concerned. Sharon had booked an appointment with her priest later in the week and had told him she was holding off on making any decisions until she knew exactly what she was dealing with.

“Oh, I don’t think she has. Bad choice of words, I guess. Do you think Ricky will help?”

Andy put his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “But she’s not going to be railroaded.” Ricky may have inherited his single-mindedness from her, but she’d had years to hone and practise her skills.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Rusty asked. “That she values the church over you?”

Andy leaned on the balcony. “That’s not what it’s about, Rusty. It isn’t a choice. If it were, she’d never have said yes in the first place. Hell, she’d never have agreed to go out with me if it was. Sharon’s faith is important to her, and I can’t get in the middle of that. It’s a personal thing. But it’s not the single ruling factor in her life. She’s just trying to find a way to move forward that’s right for everyone.”

“I don’t think Ricky or Emily will have a problem with her getting an annulment,” Rusty said.

There was a knowing tone to his words that had Andy standing a little straighter and looking at Rusty sideways. “And why is that?”

Rusty sighed. He knew he should probably stay out of it, that Sharon would want him to stay out of it, but he was part of this family; he wanted to help. He just hoped his efforts wouldn’t blow up in his face. “Ricky and Emily spoke to Jack. They already got him to agree to an annulment.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Y’know, I’m going to run out of shirts if you keep wearing them to bed,” Andy quipped as he entered the bathroom and spotted Sharon’s choice of nightwear.

Sharon looked down at the shirt. This one, the purple one, was definitely her favourite. Sleeping in his shirts was a habit she had fallen into after his heart attack. Initially, it had been because she missed him, but she had discovered they were far more comfortable than her regular nightclothes so she continued the habit once Andy had returned home. Much to his delight.

Turning to look at him, she shrugged. “So we’ll buy you more shirts. We can afford it now we’re no longer looking for a house.” That was another result of Andy’s health scare. They’d decided to stay in the condo. At least for the foreseeable future. Until they were sure Andy’s health issue wouldn’t force him into retirement. With the added expense of Rusty now wanting to go to law school, it seemed like the sensible option.

“Ah, but now we have a wedding to pay for,” he reminded her.

Sharon bit her lip and turned back to the vanity, re-arranging her already meticulously arranged cosmetics. The clinking of the bottles was loud in the now silent room.

“So…” drawled Andy, dropping his clothes in the laundry basket. “Rusty told me something interesting earlier.”

Sharon was stood in front of the mirror, removing the last remnants of her makeup. She glanced back at him, “Oh?”

“Yeah, he said Ricky and Emily spoke to Jack…” He left the statement hanging, unsure if Ricky had admitted his actions yet.

Sharon sighed and braced herself against the vanity. “Yes, they did.” She hadn’t intended on telling him just yet, not until she’d worked out what it meant for her. But once again, it appeared that her children had scuppered her plans.

She wasn’t sure quite what to make of Ricky’s actions. Speaking to a priest to find out what the process would be for his own understanding was fine. She could accept that. It was only natural he would have questions. But to then to speak to Jack and try and arrange everything as if she was some sort of helpless child, well that annoyed her. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to wring his neck.

She picked up her brush and tugged it vigorously through her hair. “I don’t know what they were thinking. In what universe did they think it would be a good idea?”

“They probably think they owe it to you to try and help you get what you want, or what they think you want,” Andy replied. He understood why she was annoyed; Sharon did not like being handled. But as a man, he knew what it was like to be in your twenties and to realise all that your mother had done for you. To want to repay her and look out for her. He’d been there. Although he couldn’t recall doing anything quite as bold.

Sharon rolled her eyes. “The narcissism of young men knows no bounds.” She dropped the brush to the vanity and shook her head. “No, that’s slightly unfair. I know they had the best of intentions but…”  She let out a sigh.

Andy moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder. “But what?”

“But I’m still not sure if an annulment is the right thing to do…” She had yet to discern what her intuition was saying to her in that regard, and she wouldn’t allow herself to make a decision until she had determined that. There was also the question of Andy’s previous marriage. As she told Ricky earlier, that had to be his decision. She didn’t want her feelings on the matter to pressure him or influence his decision in any way.

“Sharon it’s fine. We agreed there’s no rush to decide anything. I’m happy just knowing that somewhere down the line you’ll be my wife.” Sharon arched an eyebrow at him in the mirror. “What can I say?” Andy shrugged, “it’s a guy thing.”

“It’s a chauvinist thing,” she retorted with a smirk, turning in his arms. She drew her hands up his arms and behind his neck. “I could be offended.” She gazed deeply into his eyes. “But as _I’m_ happy knowing that somewhere down the line _you’ll_ be _my_ husband, it would be a bit hypocritical.” Her fingers traced patterns on his skin as she spoke, from his hairline to the nape of his neck and back again.

“Hell of a thing.” He captured her lips in a sweet kiss, his bulk pressing her back against the vanity.

His hands roamed, caressing her hips until they came to rest on her bottom. He lifted her into the air.

“Andy!” She yelped in surprise as her feet left the floor. “Put me down!” she giggled, bracing herself on his shoulders.

He set her down on the cool surface of the vanity and stepped between her legs. Slowly, he lifted his hands to the buttons of her shirt. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he began working them undone.

As Andy pushed the shirt from her shoulders, Sharon leaned in and kissed him. She returned her hands to his hair, pulling him closer. He growled as her nails scraped across his scalp, and traced her lips with his tongue, seeking permission. Sharon parted her lips, closing her eyes as she sank into the delicious sensations Andy was arousing in her.

Andy’s hands found her breasts and Sharon pulled back from the kiss with a moan. “I think…maybe… we should take this… to our room,” she suggested, Andy periodically stealing kisses from her as she spoke.

Andy’s strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her again. Sharon wrapped her legs tightly around him and allowed him to carry her to their room, kicking the door shut behind them.

* * *

“Is everything okay?” Andy asked as he reversed the car out of the parking garage at PAB.

“Hmm?” Sharon replied, turning to face him.

“Only I thought I sensed some tension between you and the boys as we left?” It had been a strange ten minutes and Andy was still trying to get his head around it. His ex-wife was filing for annulment, after all this time. He drove past the visitor section of the car park and waved Rusty out in front of him. He and Ricky were joining them for dinner at Gus’ restaurant, but due to the logistics of the day, they had two cars to manoeuvre.

“It’s fine. I just wish my children would realise that I’m perfectly capable of sorting out my own life and not meddle. Especially when I specifically told them not to.”

“Okay, you want to give me a clue here?” he frowned, puzzled by her statement. As far as he was aware, she’d forgiven Ricky for jumping in and speaking to Jack.

Sharon rolled her eyes; for a detective, he could be a little obtuse at times. “Does it not strike you as suspicious that, less than two days after my son arrives with the news that he’s got his father to agree to an annulment, your ex-wife suddenly decides to annul your former marriage after all these years?”

Andy’s eyes widened as he recalled his conversation with the boys that morning. “I… But how…”

“I haven’t quite figured out all the details yet, but I’m guessing Ricky had Rusty contact Nicole and she spoke to Sandra. I don’t think either of them would have dared approach her for themselves.”

“Well,” he drawled, “is it really such a bad thing? As I said before, this could all turn out for the best. You wanted a church wedding and this is one less obstacle to that.”

“I know, I just...” Sharon trailed off, nervous about broaching the subject of why he hadn’t offered to get the annulment himself. The last thing she wanted was to appear needy or jealous.

“What? Come on Sharon, you can tell me.”

“I’m not sure it’s a can of worms I really want to open,” she replied, her eyes fixated on her hands that were carefully arranged on her lap. She didn’t have a good track record when it came to romantic relationships and difficult conversations. She’d avoided having them with her parents for fear of disappointing them, and when she’d married, well. Nobody liked having difficult conversations, but Jack Raydor had a real aversion to them - so much so that when she tried to talk about something important or emotionally draining he would try to change the subject. If she pushed hard enough it would descend into a row and he’d leave.

Glancing in his rear-view mirror, Andy pulled the car over to the sidewalk and took her hand.  “You never used to be afraid to talk to me,” he whispered, stroking his thumb along hers. His heart began to beat faster as he uttered his next words, “Are you… Sharon, are you having second thoughts?”

Her head snapped up but she met his gaze levelly. “No,” she told him firmly, squeezing his hand. “Definitely not.”

“Then what?”

“I just… I wondered why it was that you didn’t think about getting the annulment for yourself, that’s all.” She broke their gaze, turning to look out of the window.

“Who said I didn’t think about it?”

She turned back with surprise. “I… so, you had thought about it?”

“Of course I’d thought about it.” Andy shook his head in disbelief. “Geez, what kind of guy would I be if I knew my fiancée wanted a church wedding but didn’t try and do everything possible to make it happen. I just…” he let out a sigh, he never found it easy to discuss his past with Sharon because he didn’t want it to influence the present. “I just needed time to get my head around it.”

“But you’re not particularly devout…”

“Not from a religious perspective, from a personal one. Sharon, I screwed up my marriage to Sandra. I should never have proposed to her in the first place – I wasn’t ready. I drank too much, made mistakes…”

This wasn’t news to Sharon. They had spoken about it at length a few years ago when they were still just friends and she was going through her divorce. He’d offered her a perspective based on his own experiences.

“I hurt a lot of people,” Andy continued, glumly. “Sandra, my kids, my parents. An annulment means my marriage will never have existed; all that hurt… for nothing. For me to choose to get an annulment, to get to wipe the slate clean and start again? Hardly seems fair. But for Sandra to make that choice, well I guess that’s her prerogative.”

“Even though it seems our kids had a hand in it?”

“Trust me, Nicole could never get Sandra to do something she didn’t want to do, not even with the help of your kids. She’s kinda like you in that regard; stubborn.”

“Seems you have a type,” Sharon quipped, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Hearing Andy’s explanation, she felt better and wished she’d just asked him about the annulment days ago. Her hand found his on the centre console and she interlaced their fingers. “You know, your marriage would only cease to exist in the eyes of the church, Andy. You wouldn’t forget about it, or the mistakes you made in it. You wouldn’t be erasing it from your life. You’ve fought too hard to make amends, to lead a better life to just sweep it all under the carpet just because a religious institution decrees it no longer existed.”

Her words buoyed him and he sat a little taller, prouder. She had faith in him. He reached across and cupped her cheek. “Thank you, Sharon. I would have got there eventually; you know that right?”

She reached up to cover his hand with hers and gazed lovingly at him. “I do.” He would have worked it all out, he’d have approached Sandra and they’d have been forced to have an honest conversation about the marriage and everything that went wrong. It would have been a good process for him to go through, to help heal some of the wounds of the past. But Ricky and Rusty had taken that opportunity away from him, albeit unknowingly. She could only hope that her confidence in him, in their relationship and in their future could maybe facilitate some of that.

She was fairly sure that they could find a way. They both had hurts in their pasts, things that they regretted, and would do differently if given the chance. The past could not be undone, but together they were beginning to heal.


End file.
